Bernadette Reporting Thursday

We welcomed day number five in Honduras in hammocks while watching the sun rise.  We then spent the rest of the day exploring the social and environmental aspects of fishing communities by traveling in a boat, learning about mangroves, and of course taking some time to play in trees.  

It was a beautiful day to be on the water.  Unfortunately it was windy so fisherman stayed home and we did not get the opportunity to watch them fish; but having the bay to ourselves made for a spectacular view.  The mountains in the distance broke up the horizon and the wind kept us cool in the hot sun. Some of the group did turn slightly pink though.

My favorite part of the day was the time a few of us spent climbing trees while the other members of the group relaxed and rehydrated with water and juice.  We stopped at this little spot on the coast right after Steve (a marine ecologist) taught us how truly important mangroves are to the ecosystem.  We got to explore a little of where the mangroves grow.  There is a beautiful simple happiness you can only get by enjoying the company of friends while doing something as childlike as climbing trees or playing in the mangroves.

 I think the simplicity of life here is something to be looked at with wonder.  The people we have talked to on the coast work very hard for their living but then enjoy their time away from work swinging in hammocks in the shade of trees.  I have really enjoyed watching the locals be happy and content with life purely because they are in good company and appreciate the little things in life like the fish they catch to sustain themselves, the tree that shades them and the beer that quenches their thirst.

Tomorrow we hike!